06/30/2016

Summer holidays and patriotism, they make me think of red white and blue, but once we were living along the gulf, I found myself wondering how old glory paired up with vivid coastal hues.

Apparently, quite well.

I think they go together like the beach and music.

We started fresh when we bought our Florida home. I left the tubs of holiday decorations up north. I wanted something different here. Yes, a new color palette, but I would also have to learn how to infuse my holiday style with a coastal flavor.

I immediately liked this cobalt blue, aqua and red combination with just an understated patriotic napkin added for that holiday nod.

Flamingos and flags? Love it.

Creating a vignette with items I already have, especially if they are vintage? And then adding a bit of coastal flair? I'm all about it.

Pinterest is teeming with red white and blue 4th of July cocktails, but this idea of incorporating the tropical colors of a watermelon into the festivities seems a bit more in line with the unexpected and fun look I am going for.

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Then again, perhaps keeping it old school and giving our flag center stage, but with a creative twist, is all that is needed,

From sea to shining sea,

no matter where we are in these United States,

we are privileged to live here.

We will be flying our flag proudly and celebrating all that it symbolizes.

Wishing all of you a Happy 4th!

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I am linking up this post here. and here Please join me for more Independence Day inspiration.

06/24/2016

Alligators made the news again last week in Florida. It was a horrific story of a two-year-old that was fatally attacked by an alligator while visiting Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The child was playing in the shallow water of a man-made lake after dark and the father of the boy tried valiantly to fight off the alligator but was unable to save his young son. Events like this are shocking even to Floridians who are familiar with the dangers of sharing real estate with these reptiles. But people that live outside of the area, people less knowledgeable about the behaviors of these creatures, hear about these stories and typically over- estimate the risk of an alligator attack. Conversely, others are frequently dismissive of the very real threat that co-existing with over a million alligators in Florida creates. The facts, though, highlight that alligator attacks are relatively rare and the risk of an attack can be dramatically reduced even further with a bit of common sense.

When we first looked into moving to Florida from the Midwest, one of the things that concerned me was the abundant wildlife in this tropical part of the world. I will admit to googling alligator attacks, panther populations, and bear sightings. but the beauty of this state won out. This is where we wanted to be.

The home we ultimately purchased is in a golf community that has several small retention ponds along the course and one of them isn't far from our house.

My imagination was having a field day and I could only envision that the pond was teeming with alligators. I have yet to see an alligator outside of the zoo but my fears were not totally unfounded. Alligator attacks in Florida are a reality. According to the USA Today,

"The statistics, which go back to 1948, show that the deadliest years for fatalities caused by alligator attacks were 2001 and 2006. Three people were killed each of those years."

Their graph below highlights the relatively low risk of an alligator attack.

There are nearly twenty million people in Florida so the odds of being a victim of an alligator attack are extremely low. Still, there are things we can do to help alleviate that risk even further.

Because alligators lurk in fresh or brackish waters, do not swim in these areas or any body of water that is posted with warning signs.

Alligators are most active between dusk and dawn, so swimming at night or even walking near ponds, lakes, or canals during these hours should definitely be avoided.

Feeding an alligator reduces its fear of humans. Do NOT feed an alligator. To do so is not only dangerous but it is also against the law in Florida.

Most alligator attacks occur in the water but if you encounter an alligator on land do not approach it. Alligators can jump to heights of six feet and they can run very fast for short distances. So maintain a distance of at least twenty feet.

Because alligator attacks are fairly rare they almost always make the news and without an understanding of the statistical odds of an attack, it is easy for our fears to take over.

According to CBS News, the facts are this, Florida averages about seven serious unprovoked bites a year and officials put the odds of someone being seriously injured by an unprovoked alligator in Florida at roughly one in 2.4 million.

While we were visiting the Naples Zoo earlier this year I noted a sign near the alligator exhibit that also emphasized how infrequently these attacks occur.

06/17/2016

I took this photo on a real estate hunt a year and a half ago when we were looking for a home in Florida. I thought it was beautiful then and it inspires me still. As we are preparing to remodel the kitchen in the home we ultimately purchased, I am looking for interesting ceiling ideas that we can incorporate into our kitchen design. This one keeps coming to the top.

This is the photo that still takes my breath away. This ceiling leaves me spellbound.

06/13/2016

This image is from the real estate listing we found on the internet when we were looking for our home. We thought it was amazing and fell in love with the property before we had actually even set foot in the home. Lucky us. Six months later we were moving in.

The home and the pool are about fourteen years old. The pool heater had just been replaced so it was new but everything else was original.

At first glance, the pool looked great but what the photos didn't show was the tile was oxidized, the grout was discolored and the surface of this concrete pool was beginning to fade and had several stains along the bottom.

We were moving from the Midwest where pools are seasonal and hard to justify. As a result, we had never had a pool before and knew very little about them or what was current or "cool" when it came to pool design. So we made the decision to contact a pool professional.

I had really liked the glass block wall between the spa and the pool itself.

I especially liked it at night when it allowed the glow from the spa light to shine through the block into the pool.

But what do I know about what is cool for a pool? Apparently, nothing. I quickly learned that along with the institutional type railing in the shallow end of the pool, that glass block is a dated look. The pool company also pointed out where the block had already been repaired once. It was only a matter of time before it would leak again so while we were resurfacing the interior of the pool we decided we would also rebuild the spa wall.

The pool was drained in a day.

Within several more days, the tile was chiseled off.

I learned that the pool has a hydrostatic relief valve that keeps the pool from floating up after the pool water is drained off.

The result was some muddy underground water entering the pool. About this point I began to worry that we had made a big mistake.

They began constructing the waterfall wall where the glass block had been.

Then they began tiling the water line and the spa.

I really did like the retro look of the original tile but we wanted to replace it with something a bit more updated with a modern clean appearance. We chose a glass tile in blue that has a few iridescent tiles that create some sparkle and interest.

Next, they covered the tile, cleaned the interior, and began applying the Pebble Tec finish which is a cement with pebbles and colored glass mixed together. Pebble Tec will last twenty years or more and is much more fade and stain resistant than a traditional plaster finish.

The Pebble Tec is sprayed on first and then hand- troweled for an even smooth coating. We went with the blue color and infused it with blue glass beads for an added shimmer.

We also added a new pool filter, new LED pool lights that can change the color of the pool, and the drain covers were replaced with new ones that meet current safety standards.

It has only been a couple of months, but we noticed that after we put in the new pool filter that our electric bill decreased by about $70 a month. Our electric bills here are not big so that has been a significant change for the better.

By the end of the week, they were refilling the pool using two garden hoses. A pool the size of this one took about a day to refill.

It was rather scary looking on Wednesday but by Saturday night, it looked amazing.

As a Midwesterner that has recently relocated to a coastal state, I am inspired by color and elegant but casual coastal design. I'd love to have you follow along as we update our home one colorful project at a time.

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